Disclaimer: I hate these, and therefore, it seems perfectly logical to me to just not do one. However, that would lead to catastrophic consequences perhaps resulting in the depredation of my stories and reputation. In rendering this analysis, I have come to the conclusion that disclaimers must be done however much I may find them insufferable. Now, I shall utter the painful words of truth—I don't own Fire Emblem. (Ahem…sorry if I sound a bit archaic in my patterns of speech and word choice, but my English class is getting to me…Oo)

Rebecca: I've said this once, and I'll say it once more: You are SO weird!!

Me: Meep…I don't mean to…::sniff::

Rebecca: Hey! No crying allowed in my presence! Now…go reply to the nice reviewers!

Me: O.O Why must you yell…?

Rebecca: ::glare of doom::

Me: ::shudder:: I'm sorry, oh great and mighty muse…

Rebecca: ::smiles and pats me on the head:: There's my good, little authoress…

SweetMisery430: Phew…:) Nino was starting to scare me with all those non-canon couples…xD. Really? Sain and Vaida don't have supports together? Hm…I could have sworn that I read a support of theirs…maybe it was a fake! ::gasp:: Yeah! It would be so funny if you wrote it…::starts chanting:: Write it! Write it! :D Thanks for answering all the questions!! ::hug:: Dart/Farina's going to be so fun to write…mwahahaha… Yeah, I'll probably end up giving my Afa's Drops to Nino, just because she's so cute, and she needs it the most. :) Oh, OK… I know the website you're talking about! It's or something like that… It has a lot of the people from other FE games, too, like Roy (Eliwood's son) and Lilina (Hector's daughter). XD I still wish they had official pics, though…::cries:: Thank you very much for reviewing!! :D

Hyliansage: OMG!! Your review made me sooo happy! ::does a happy dance:: Yes, there will be some cute Matthew/Leila at the end, and I kind of went overboard with their conversation…simply because they don't get to have another one…::tear:: Bah…My Eliwood's stats are mundane at the very best… I think it's because he doesn't have good attack power like the other lords… Lyn could kill him, and Hector kills him…with his AXE no less! --;; Maybe I just have bad luck with him… Heh…I like stretching romances really long…so yeah. Wil and Rebecca's A support will probably be a long time in coming…O.o Hey…You have a point there with Florina and her pegasus. I bet she DOES have two!! ::gasp:: Aww…::blush:: You're so sweet…::hug:: I tried not to put as much dialogue from the game this time, especially when Leila and Matthew are talking. XD Oh, no…I didn't know about the special Lyn/Eliwood scenes…I feel so unknowledgable! ::dramatic sigh:: Um…um…Can you give it to me? ::pleading eyes:: Yep. Kenneth's the name of that evil bishop dude. XD Thanks for answering my questions! ::hug:: I find it ironic that I have the same affinity as both Eliwood and Priscilla, and those are the units that do the worst stat-wise…o.0 Thanks again for such a sweet (and long) review! Erm…by the way… Did you get my email? I can never be sure if my emails send right anymore…--;;;

A fan of fire emblem: ::nods:: I totally understand where you're coming from the with Sain situation. I also think it's sad that he never seems to get paired up with anybody even though he has six supports with girls—well, five really, since he can't end up with Louise! XD Well, I would rather stay true to as many couples in the game that I possibly can…but I'll ask people if they think Sain should be paired up with someone… You see…the only available girls are Vaida, Ninian, and Krista…and any one of those paired up with Sain doesn't really make much sense to me…::nervous smile:: I suppose I COULD make an OC to pair up with Sain…but I'm not very good with OCs… Thanks so much for reviewing, though! :) And answering my Afa's Drops question!

Knight-Lord-Eliwood: Hehehe…I used to like Hector/Lyn better, but now I'm starting to like Hector/Florina instead. XD They just have such opposite personalities…such cuteness. :) Oh…I see where you're coming from on the Eliwood having balanced stats thing. Yeah…I guess he does have pretty balanced stats in my game…but I still wish he could have as much power as Hector or Lyn. O.O Whoa… Eliwood killed Lord Darin in THREE hits?? Now that's what I call good… My Lyn could probably do that, too, and with her maxed out speed… The bosses wouldn't know what hit them until too late! XD Thanks for reviewing! :D

Yoshimo: ::blush:: Aww…Thanks! :) I'm sorry you're not a big fan of Hector/Florina…TT I wish I could write stories where all the different couples could be incorporated…but that's impossible…hehe…::nervous smile:: Oh, um… I'm confronting Linus first, because I like Lloyd and want him to live longer. XD J/K So…that means… Geitz instead of Wallace. Meh…I didn't like Wallace much anyway. He's mean to Wil. XD Wow…It's interesting you gave your Afa's Drops to Lyn! :) Lyn's so awesome that she doesn't need any items in my game to make her better…but Eliwood could probably use a boost. Then again, I want to use Nino, just because she's so cute! XD ::sigh:: I wish FE 6 was in English…--;; I'll just have to learn Japanese then… Thanks for your review! :)

Burningphoneix: Hehe…Sorry for always taking such a long time to update…;;; I bet you probably thought I had stopped updating, since this chapter took such a freakishly long time to write…O.o ::laughs at the English translators:: So funny for giving Florina's pegasus two names! XD I wonder how they could translate a name so differently, though… Huey and Makar don't sound anything alike! ::shrugs:: Thanks for answering all the random questions!! :D ::sigh:: I wish I could get Farina to join without having to give her money…but that's OK. She's a pretty good pegasus knight, and she can do the cool triangle attack thing with her sisters! XD Thanks for the review! :) By the way…You did get the last email I sent you, right? Sometimes my computer does funny things and deletes the emails I send! ::nervous smile::

Akbar: Wow! ::blushes:: Thanks a lot! And thanks for answering all my questions! Yeah, I've seen the official art of Elimine, and I've seen Athos in-game…but I've yet to see any picture of the heroes…::cries:: Maybe the artists just got lazy and decided to not draw the rest of the heroes? XD Um…Was your link something like drifting-dreams? That's where I saw a lot of official art for all of the FE games… It's great! Thanks for reviewing! :D

Reiko5: Alternate personalities, huh? XD Glad I don't have that problem…::nervous smile:: Dark's scary…:) Aww…Now I wish I had updated by Halloween, so I could have seen Dark in control…hehehe. Masochist? Oh, yeah!! One of those people who like pain or something? ::is too lazy to go look it up in a dictionary:: Yeah…School is so evil to me… It's stealing all my creative juices, which might be a reason this chapter took such a long time writing…--;;; Don't let it do that to you! Save yourself! :) Thanks for your review!

Houyoku: You didn't get an author alert?? O.o Uh-oh… That means…My author alert might not be working either!! Noooo…TT Yeah, I totally understand the not-checking-fanfiction-anymore-because-of-so-many-shonen-ai-fics attitude. I don't see how people can like that kind of stuff…--;;; The scariest one I've seen was where someone wrote a Nino/Rebecca one! 0.0 It made me so sick…gah…--; Hehe…computers hate me, too…especially when I'm in a hurry… It takes such pleasure in saying: "An error has occurred…etc." Wah! I luv the Dodge Tool, although I'm trying to not use it as much…::nervous smile:: Yeah! You should use Emyth as your muse! He'd be so encouraging and supportive! …Erm…That was sarcastic…XD Hey…You should tell me when you update that story, 'cause I don't have an author alert thing for that site…:) Aww…I'm really sorry that you don't like Hector/Florina or Eliwood/Lyn…::nervous smile:: Maybe I'll write a one-shot Lyn/Hector thing for you? Just not Eliwood/Ninian…noooo. XD Thanks so much for the critique! ::hug:: I tried to add in more of my own conversation this time when Leila and Matthew talk…:) ::nods:: I'll probably end up using my Afa's Drops on Nino, too. Thanks for reviewing! :D

Random Person: Yeah!! I had that idea at first, and was like, "Omg…What if Nergal's the eighth hero??? It would be so interesting to see what he would say to his old friend Athos!" But yeah… Then I found out that Brammimond—I can never spell his name right…::nervous smile::--was the real eighth hero… I still kind of wish that Nergal was the eighth one, 'cause it would have made the storyline more interesting…XD

The celebration for dealing with Bauker, one of Marquess Laus's allies, was short-lived, for there were still enemies inside Castle Caelin. Rebecca stood in the background, staring wistfully at the three lords discussing their next course of action. She overheard a little about prisoners of Caelin, but she had a hard time focusing; her mind was elsewhere.

Ever since her strange encounter with Wil, Rebecca had been irritated and angry. Confusing thoughts kept mingling together in her mind, vying for domination: Was that really him? If so, then why did he show up all of a sudden? Why hadn't he written? Why was he here? Why did he have to leave in the first place? Why? Why?

Kin snorted, jolting Rebecca out of her bewildering thoughts. She laughed, and patted the golden mare on the nose. Yes, she couldn't let her personal thoughts and feelings interfere with her fighting.Trying to smile, she left Kin with Merlinus and stocked up on arrows. And still, deep in the back of her mind, she hoped that somehow she would run into Wil again.

Inside Castle Caelin was a jail cell. It didn't look any different from the other rooms—stone walls, a stone floor, and a heavy, locked wooden door—except for the fact that it didn't have any of the niceties that one would have expected in the castle of a marquess. Instead of these luxuries, the room contained four people.

Two of the four people looked like they belonged inside, with the symbol of Caelin emblazoned on their armor. However, the other two people did not look like they belonged. One of them had dark, almost-blood-red hair, with dark, brooding eyes to match; it seemed as if he had lost his innocence much too early, and had tasted nothing of the good of the world. Whenever one of the inmates would try and strike up a friendly conversation, he would just glare at them and turn around. They soon learned not to mess with him.

The other inmate was the total opposite of the red-haired man, for this person looked like the very essence of innocence and goodness. Maybe it just came from his long, blonde hair and his blue eyes; or perhaps it was his monk's garb. Either way, righteousness emanated from his personage, calming his fellow inmates in such a way that even the red-haired man stopped his coldness every once in a while.

But the eye of the storm did not last forever. The enemies of Laus had finally arrived to free the prisoners and Marquess Caelin. The crimson-haired man knew that he should be glad of this turn of events, but something froze his pleasure at being rescued. It was him—Hector.

Hector. A name he had come to loathe in the darkness of his thoughts and in the silent nights he had laid awake in mental agony. His parents were gone because of that name, and his mouth turned upward in a grim smile as he thought of what would happen to that name if he ever got his hands on it. Oh, yes. He would make sure that the hated name would never again be spoken; it would be blotted out of history by his own two hands. Gracefully, the red-haired man lifted up his hands and stared at them in grim pleasure. With these two hands, Hector would give up his life as he had once done to the red-haired man's family.

The man could not let this chance go by; he just could not stand the thought of having his victim so close, and yet, not be able to reach it. He clenched his hands, and yelled at the guard outside of his prison. "Hey, you! Let me out of here!"

The guard seemed surprised to hear sound coming from inside the jail walls. "What?" he asked, addressing the scarlet-haired man.

"Look," explained the man through clenched teeth. "Marquess Ostia's brother is among your enemy, right?" He waited for the guard to consent, and then continued. "Let me out, and I'll help you. But I must have the brother!" His eyes searched out the dark armor and axe of his prey. "I've a score to settle with house Ostia."

The guard followed his gaze, but shook his head negatively. "Do you think me a fool? You work for house Caelin! I cannot trust your word!"

By this time, the red-haired man had grown very impatient. "Then I'll have to break down this door and go through you!" he cried, angrily brandishing his sword.

Before the guard had any time to react, the monk grabbed his companion's arm. "No, Lord Raven! You musn't! You cannot betray your debt to Marquess Caelin!"

Raven gruffly waved off his friend's pleas. "Shut up, Lucius!" he exclaimed. Then he turned once again to face the guard, who seemed to be getting a bit nervous around such a hot-headed inmate. "How about it?"

Quickly, the guard made up his mind to not die. "Very well," he agreed as he unlocked the prison door. "Get out!" Raven stepped out eagerly, but the guard had one more thing to say. "Remember, if you betray us, your companion dies."

Raven nodded, giving the guard a sardonic grin. "Then you die next."

The guard did not reply.

Fighting indoors was so much different from hunting outdoors in the forest. Rebecca loved the outdoors, breathing the cool, fresh air, and feeling the warm sun on her back, but indoors was another story. She had never thought of herself as a girl who suffered from claustrophobia, since she didn't mind working in tiny spaces when cooking with her mother; however, this battle was swiftly changing her analysis.

First, there was the din of battle—axes, swords, lances, and bows all clashing together in a cacophony of sound that reverberated from the castle walls. Then, there were the castle walls themselves. They seemed to be closing in, making it harder to move around. Here and there, a splatter of blood decorated the patch of wall, making them seem more menacing. Rebecca felt it very hard to breathe because of the stench that was quickly rising from the casualties, and suddenly wished to run out and breathe in the wonderful air of Elibe.

And yet, she couldn't. She wouldn't. They had come so far to rescuing the marquess that she would not just run away now. She relaxed her guard, trusting in her companions to protect her for the time being, and slowly started to breathe in and out. In and out. In. Out. It was a simple exercise that she had learned as a child when she had been learning how to hunt with Dan. Oh, how she missed him. There was never a day that went by when she didn't think about him, but now was not the time.

In and out. In and out. Rebecca felt her tense muscles start to relax, and eventually, she felt well enough to fight. Now, all she had to do was find an enemy…

Her eyes scanned the battlefield. There was Erk attacking an archer with…fire? Her eyes widened in disbelief and wonder, and she stopped her search to watch the miraculous even take place. Erk was standing with his feet a little distance apart, and holding a tome in one hand. Rebecca stared at the book intently, but could not decipher what it said on the cover. She eventually gave up on looking at the book, and turned her full attention to what Erk was doing now.

Over the shouting and dying groans, Rebecca thought she could hear Erk saying something. His mouth was definitely moving, but none of his comrades were around. He couldn't be talking to anyone, so what was he—

Suddenly, a burst of flame appeared in the mage's upraised hand, scaring the enemy archer as much as Rebecca. Unfortunately for the enemy archer, the flame was aimed at him.

He was dead before he hit the ground.

Rebecca stood stunned, staring at the charbroiled corpse that lay before Erk. She would never, ever want to fight an enemy who used magic that strong. Even though, she was bothered a great deal by this kind of warcraft, Erk just nodded as if congratulating himself, and then walked off to find another enemy.

How long Rebecca kept fighting was a mystery to her. She notched and fired arrows, never missing an enemy. She should have been ecstatic at such success, but a thought kept nagging at the back of her mind. Wil.

The green-haired archer shook her head, partly in anger, and partly in dismay. How dare he come back just to turn her world upside down! He had no right to--!

Just as suddenly as her anger had flared up, it melted back down. Of course he had every right. He hadn't done anything to intentionally hurt her, had he? Unless… Rebecca shut her eyes, as if that would protect her from her relentless thoughts. Had she done something in the past to hurt him? Had he gone away, not because of an adventurous spirit, but…because of her?

No. Rebecca felt tears pricking at the back of her eyes. That couldn't be the reason… It just couldn't. She opened her eyes, and searched for something—anything—that could get her mind off of Wil. However, nothing appeared in front of her. It was as if the castle that had been so full of enemies just a little while ago, had been emptied of both friend and foe. Straining her ears, she could hear the screech of what sounded like an iron door being opened and voices. Desperate to find someone, whether he be friendly or not, she ran toward the sounds.

The first sight that greeted Rebecca was the color of blood. A man with blood-colored hair had his back turned to her, and was talking in a hushed voice to a troubadour. Priscilla. The archer sighed in relief in the knowledge that these were allies, but she had never seen the man before. Curiosity overcame good sense, and she walked quietly forward without hailing Priscilla. I'm sure they see me…

Rebecca got as close as a few steps away from the man before he whirled around and held his sword to her neck. As would be expected of someone who had a sword ready to slice through them, she froze and stared at his face in terror.

Priscilla yelled, "Ray!" and only then did the man sheathe his sword. Rebecca let out the breath she had been holding, and smiled at Priscilla. The troubadour smiled back and trotted away on her chestnut-colored mare. That left Rebecca and the man with blood-colored hair alone together.

The archer tried to smile, but the feel of the cold iron sword still lingered in her mind. However, it didn't look like the man would break the silence, so Rebecca chose to take the initiative.

"Um… So… Your name's Ray? I—"

"Raven."

"……Oh, OK… …" She didn't know what else to say, so she gave him a weak smile and scampered off, feeling his gaze burn into her back. He's kind of cute…but so cold! In the deep recesses of her mind, she had a feeling that maybe Wil wouldn't be haunting her dreams much anymore, but she couldn't shake off a slight feeling of guilt.

Clenching her hands, Rebecca tried to reason with herself. It's not like I flirted with him or anything! And yet, the guilt stayed.

The battle was over before Rebecca knew it, and now they were all standing in the throne room frantically searching for any sign of Lyn's grandfather. Lyn looked like she was about to go into hysterics at any moment as the search proceeded.

"Grandfather! Grandfather!"

Eliwood glanced at Lyn, compassion and concern etched on his face. "Lord Hausen?" he called. "Where are you?"

"Hey!" The room grew deathly still as everyone turned to look at Hector, who was standing near the throne and pointing at it. "Here, on the throne… It's—"

Blood! Rebecca gasped, and Serra chose this moment to run around the room in panic. It took Hector and all the cavaliers to wrestle her to the ground and keep her quiet.

Lyn broke the thick silence. "Blood?" He voice was steady and calm, but her trembling hands and bright teal eyes revealed the pain she was feeling. "No… No!" She continued to stare at the stain as if it could tell her where her grandfather was now.

Eliwood came up and put his hand on her shoulder in sympathy. "He…He might only be injured…" whispered the Pheraen lordling. "Come on. Let's go find him, OK?"

The Caelin princess nodded mutely, and put her head on Eliwood's shoulder. His eyes widened at this close gesture, but he made no move to stop her. In fact, he brought his other hand up, hesitated, and gently brought it down on her back, moving them even closer together.

Matthew with his sharp eyes, spotted a figure in the shadows, and exclaimed, "Over there! There's someone there!" He pointed at a dimly-lit corner of the throne room.

Eliwood and Lyn hastily broke apart, both blushing. Carefully avoiding the other's eyes, they turned to face the direction that Matthew was pointing in.

Ever the direct one, Hector commanded whoever it was to: "Show yourself!"

A woman with cherry red hair and bright eyes to match slowly walked out from the darkness. Half of her face was beneath that startlingly red hair, but Rebecca could tell that this was a woman who was intelligent and crafty. She had a long yellow cape, a violet tunic, and tan leather boots on that somehow reminded Rebecca of Matthew… Or perhaps it was just the way the woman carried herself. The one eye that was visible sparkled with intelligence and hidden knowledge, and her mouth was curved upward in a half-smile. It was the expression of Matthew—the expression of a master spy.

Hector had a half-pleased, half-shocked expression on his face. "You… Leila!"

The woman—Leila—bowed low with a flourish. "Yes, it's me, Lord Hector. It's been a long time."

Eliwood stared at Leila, then Hector, then back to Leila. "You know her?" he asked Hector.

The Ostian lordling nodded. "Yes, her name's Leila. She…works for Ostia…" After an unbelieving look from his friend, Hector sighed. "Fine. She's a spy."

Leila smiled in bemusement, and then chose this opportunity to remind them of the situation at hand. "Lord Eliwood or Pherae and Lady Lyndis of Caelin, correct? I am Leila." Here, she bowed again, though with not as much ceremony as before. "Pleased to make your acquaintance." Then she turned her gaze to Lyn. "Lady Lyndis, Marquess Caelin is back there receiving treatment."

At this news, Lyn practically jumped for joy. "My grandfather is safe!! Isn't he?!"

Leila nodded, trying to not laugh. "…His life is yet his own."

It didn't seem that Lyn had heard anything though, because before Leila could finish her statement, the Caelin lordling was off praising. "Ah! Father Sky and Mother Earth! I thank you for your mercy!!"

Eliwood smiled in his enjoyment at seeing Lyn so happy, but then his attention was diverted by Leila's next words: "Hector, I'm following your brother's orders. I'm investigating Marquess Pherae's disappearance."

The red-haired lord snapped to attention. "My father? What about my father??"

Leila's expression betrayed nothing, and in a neutral voice, she said, "Come with me. We should talk in private." She pointed at Eliwood, Hector, Lyn, and Krista. "You four. Please follow me."

The lordlings and tactician obliged. Before they completely disappeared into the next room, though, Krista pointed to her communicator and nodded slightly. Rebecca smiled, believing that that meant the rest of the group should listen in on the explanation as well.

"Let me start with my conclusion." It was Leila's low alto, a soothing voice, and one that would blend well in a crowd. Rebecca glanced at Matthew. He had the weirdest, wistful look on his face—the look of one hopelessly infatuated. Rebecca giggled, and continued to listen, carefully avoiding the glare that Matthew shot at her.

Silence. And then Leila spoke again. "Marquess Pherae…is alive."

Smiles broke out on everyone's faces, and Serra shouted out loud before anyone could stop her. Fortunately, her squeal was covered up by Hector's loud booming voice. "Whooooo! Eliwood!"

Lyn also piped up congratulations. "That's wonderful!"

Always the voice of reason and reality, Eliwood had to ask if Leila was sure.

Rebecca could picture Leila nodding. "I've been posing as a member of the Black Fang for several months." Several glances of fear and unbelief were exchanged, and then Rebecca went back to listening. "That's where I got this information. I believe it is true." Leila finished.

Eliwood seemed to be filled with the same uneasiness. "Black Fang… They're the assassins guild that Erik spoke of."

"Yes," affirmed Leila. "We've known of their existence for quite some time."

"Explain." Hector demanded. Rebecca had to stifle a laugh. Hector was not known for his patience.

Leila gave a small sigh, and explained. "The Black Fang is a guild of assassins founded about ten years ago by Brendan Reed. They're based in Bern. Their arms reached quickly in several other countries. Originally," she took a deep breath. "Originally they targeted only nobles who abused their positions. The masses saw them as chivalrous, defenders of the common man, and their activities found wide support."

"Chivalrous…" muttered Krista. Heavy, brooding silence followed, then Leila continued.

"Then about a year ago, Brendan got married again. Black Fang's operations have slowly changed since then. Now, they'll take on any target, no matter how difficult, as long as they're paid. And they're no longer killing only criminals; anyone is a fair target."

Again, this new revelation was greeted with absolute silence as everyone slowly digested it.

Lyn broke in with a voice tinged with trembling determination. "Is…Is this Black Fang responsible for what's happened to my grandfather?"

Rebecca listened harder, wishing that she had a communicator in her other ear as well. "Yes," was Leila's answer. "We've learned of a mystery man named Nergal, behind Reed's wife. It seems the Black Fang is performing secret tasks across Lycia for Nergal. Nergal's trusted retainer Ephidel is with Marquess Laus." At the mention of Ephidel's name, a ripple of anger flowed through Rebecca and her companions. "He manipulated Laus into hatching the rebellion plot against Ostia. The first to answer Laus's call for rebellion was… Marquess Santaruz."

Krista's voice shook with sadness. "Lord Helman… Why would you…"

"Next was Lord Elbert, Marquess Pherae."

A sharp intake of breath was heard, and then Eliwood gasped out, "You're telling me, Leila, that my father endorsed this plan??"

"I cannot say." Leila quickly answered to soothe Eliwood. "I do know that he is with Marquess Laus currently. In a place called…the Dragon's Gate." Rebecca stared at the faces of her allies to see if anyone knew what the Dragon Gate was, but everyone looked as clueless as she did.

Fortunately for Rebecca's curiosity, Lyn asked, "Dragon's Gate? Where is that?"

"On an isle called Valor, off the southern coast of Lycia." Then there was a brief space of silence, and Leila apologized. "I'm afraid that is all the information I have."

Hector slammed his fist against something, making a huge cracking noise. "Of all places to be! Valor! #$!!" Rebecca winced at hearing such language, but didn't stop listening in case more information might be revealed.

"What kind of place is it?" asked Krista, hoping to get more information as well.

Eliwood sighed, and in a too-calm, too-quiet voice, answered Krista's question. "It's said that those who step on the island never return. The common fold call it the Dread Isle, but if that's where my father is…" He took a breath to steady himself. "I will go and find him, and this 'Dragon's Gate' too!"

Of course, since Eliwood was going, Hector was going to go, and Krista offered her services as well. Lyn did not want to be left behind either, but Eliwood tried to reason with her.

"Lyndis, I appreciate your kindness, but… Shouldn't you stay with Marquess Caelin?"

Lyn's reply held a tinge of hurt in them, as if Eliwood wanting her to stay here cut her deeply. "Laus must be stopped. Otherwise, they might target my grandfather again. I also wish to help you father, Eliwood, because losing a parent… It's an unbearable pain, and something I'd rather you didn't have to feel yet."

"Lyndis…" Eliwood's voice held many conflicting emotions—gratitude, fear for her safety, and perhaps even a bit of love. "Hector…" he added as an afterthought. "Thank you. You give me strength."

"Don't mention it," was Hector's brusque reply.

Lyn took a little longer to reply. "We're friends. It's what friends so, Eliwood." Friends? Rebecca didn't doubt that they were, but it would have been so much cuter if Lyn thought they were more. The archer sighed. This adventure was turning her into a hopeless romantic—when it came to anyone but herself, of course.

Then Leila's voice was heard once again. "I'm also going to continue searching. Lady Lyndis, I think it would be prudent to let the world think Marquess Caelin is dead."

Rebecca could picture Lyn nodding. "I understand. I'll do that. Thank you."

"No thanks necessary," replied Leila. "Now if you'll excuse me—"

"Leila!" Rebecca almost jumped. Hector could be so loud sometimes…all the time.

"Yes, Lord Hector?"

"Nergal and this…Ephidel?" Hector spat out Ephidel's name like he would a repugnant insect. "What are they like?"

Leila sighed. "I've yet to lay eyes on Nergal, but I've spoken to Ephidel on several occasions." Rebecca shivered involuntarily. "He's…eerie…" continued Leila. "He always wears a cloak that covers his face. And yet…"

"Yes?" encouraged Krista.

"His eyes glow golden…" Leila's voice started to tremble. "You can't miss them. They seem…inhuman."

Rebecca found herself wishing that Wil was here to hold her, but just as quickly as the thought surfaced, she suppressed it. No use in thinking about dreams that would never come true.

The door to the throne room opened, and everyone jumped up, scrambling to look like they were doing something other than eavesdropping. Leila raised an inquiring eyebrow, but otherwise did not display any hints that she knew they had been listening in on a private conversation.

At this point, the spy would have walked on to continue her assignment if Matthew had not intervened. He hastily sauntered to her side, and grabbed her arm entreatingly. Leila swung around, ready to slap the living daylights out of whoever had grabbed her, but her expression softened when she saw who it was. Rebecca thought she could see a twinkle of laughter in Leila's eyes as Matthew led the spy out into the hallway. The archer giggled in girlish delight as she watched the two walk together. This was perfect, just perfect! Ooooh! Matthew will never hear the end of it from me!

They had slipped out from the notice of prying ears and eyes. Matthew sighed in relief, and stared at Leila—his Leila, or, at least, maybe someday his Leila. She had never looked more beautiful than when she was out on the field, he mused. Her bright red hair contrasted with the dark purple of her tunic, which, in turn, was contrasted by the brightness of her yellow cape. What an eye-catching beauty! Matthew smiled. But, of course, her whole job was to be inconspicuous, so that meant her skill had to be great enough to remain unnoticed. He felt his heart almost bursting with—love?

Matthew flushed a little, not noticeable under normal circumstances, but Leila was a trained spy. She noticed everything, and she did not miss this. Smiling, she took this time to gaze at him. He looked a bit older and more mature, but his ready smile and joking spirit were still there. He had not lost any of his old craftiness either, as was apparent by the way he stood—always on guard and ready to "disappear" at a moment's notice. She sighed and laid her head down on his shoulder. This time, she hoped that he wouldn't disappear so quickly…

The silence grew until Matthew started getting nervous. What was he supposed to say?? None of his training had ever prepared him for this! He was used to running away from pressuring situations! Still, as the silence intensified, Matthew spoke.

"S-So…" He started.

Leila laughed, a bright and cheery laugh that seemed to echo all down the hall. "Great pick-up line, Matt!" She laughed again, and nudged him in the side. "So, I take it that you heard everything that was said during the private meeting?"

Matthew nodded. "Yep. Krista has these new communicators that allow us to hear what's being said without actually being present ourselves. Saves us a bunch of precious time." He smiled, glad to have been able to tell Leila something of importance.

"Do you think I could use one?" asked Leila, her voice getting quite all of a sudden.

"Um…I don't know…" Startled at her strange silence, Matthew hugged her close. "Why? Is something wrong? Do you need help? Is it your mission? I—"

Leila laughed quietly, and snuggled next to Matthew. "Yeah… I would never admit it, but the Black Fang scares me…" She waggled a finger at him, mock glaring. "And don't you dare go tell Hector! Because then he would tell his brother, and I would get in trouble! My feelings aren't worth my job, you know!"

Matthew couldn't help but smile at her bravery. "Well, I feel special for having been told such secret information, my little spy!" They both laughed, their high spirits coming back again. "But seriously—"

"Matt!" laughed Leila. "You've never been serious in your life! What makes you think I'd believe you're being serious now?"

"Because…" began Matthew. "Someone I love very much is involved."

Leila was shocked into silence, and stared into Matthew's eyes, disbelief and faint hope written on her face. What she saw there caused her to giggle and kiss him on the cheek. "Matthew! I didn't know you cared so much!" Again, she giggled, and pranced away from him to lean on the wall.

Matthew sighed. "You still think I'm joking??" He sighed again in resignation, and muttered something under his breath.

"What was that, Matt? I didn't hear you!" taunted Leila, her eyes alight with amusement.

"I said…" Matthew clenched his hands, went over to Leila, and put a hand under her chin, forcing her to look into his determined eyes. "I said that I think you're beautiful, Leila. I said that I want to be with you. I said that I want you to meet my parents! I said that I want you to marry--!" His hand flew up to cover his mouth, cursing himself for letting his mouth get the best of him. Had he said it? Had he really said it??

Blushing, Leila stood there with her mouth open. "I-I… Matthew…"

Matthew stepped away, blushing as well. "I-I'm sorry, Leila. I h-have to go now… Do good on your mission, OK?" He turned around and swiftly scampered away into the darkness, shaking his head and muttering how dumb he was.

Leila did not move as she thought about Matthew's statements. Had he really asked her to marry him? A giddy feeling of exhilaration filled her whole being and made her laugh out loud. Yes, Matthew! Oh, yes I will! Like a child, she skipped off to finish her assignment. The faster she could get it done, the faster she would be with Matt. Wait for me, Matthew! I won't take long! Promise!

Me: WHY???????

Rebecca: What are you talking about?? Crazy authoress…

Me: But don't you know what happens to her? How can you not be crying?? (OO)

Rebecca: No, I don't know what happens, but stop—

Me: T-Then you c-can't understand!! ::starts crying more::

Rebecca: ::sigh:: Oh my gosh! You're so weird!!

Me: Waaah…::is still crying::

Rebecca: ::even bigger sigh:: Well, if you won't stop crying, then I'll have to declare this chapter over and done with.

Me: ::goes into her room to cry some more::

Rebecca: Wimp. Oh, well. At least there was SOME romance in this chapter! About time, too! You only made people wait a few MONTHS!!

Me: ::is in her room crying, so she can't hear what her evil muse is saying::

Rebecca: …Fine. You can run, but you can't hide! ::evil laughter…OF DOOM::

Random Fact #1: OMG! School is evil. That is a fact, and nobody can ever persuade me otherwise. Hmph. School is the reason why I haven't been on fanfiction for soo long, so sorry about people waiting so freakishly long…TT. ::sigh:: If you want to talk about anything, and can't wait for me to reply to your comments, find me on Deviantart. My username's gentleness28. ::nervous smile:: That's where I've been instead of fanfiction…hehehe…::sweatdrop:: Or…I guess email if you don't have a Deviantart account…

Random Fact #2: I got Karel instead of Harken, so that means poor Isadora might not get paired up after all, unless… You know…I'm just going to make Harken appear instead of Karel in my story…hehe…XP

Random Fact #3: Um…There is no random fact #3. I just wanted to balance it out with my random question #3. XD

Random Question #1: Why can't little brothers be quiet???? Oh, wait… This question is supposed to be about Fire Emblem, isn't it? OK…Um… Here's one! My cousin actually asked me this, and I didn't know the answer for sure, so yeah… On the chapter where you have to protect the Bern prince, and you can obtain Nino and Jaffar… Is it possible to get Maxime (the "sub-boss" that attacks Jaffar)? And, if so, how? Personally, I'm pretty sure you can't get Maxime…but my cousins won't trust me! XP

Random Question #2: I got asked by a reviewer to pair Sain up with somebody, but the only girls that aren't already paired up are Vaida, Ninian, and Krista. I won't let Vaida marry ANYBODY just because…she bothers me. Ninian doesn't have a support with Sain, and I kind of wanted to let her go back to Dragonland with her brother. Krista? Well, I didn't want her to turn into a Mary Sue, so I was planning on letting her stay single. Besides, it would be weird to pair my tactician up with someone, 'cause then she wouldn't be able to look on things without an outside distraction. So… I don't know… Should I pair Sain up with Ninian or Krista? Or let him pair up with an OC?? Or just let him stay single and flirt with everyone?

Random Question #3: Erm…since I don't have Harken… Does anybody have his supports with everyone or his ending with Isadora? ::nervous smile:: Sorry for asking for so much…0.0